This is my first chocolate cake. Wanted to cook it the other day - as usual searched online for Nigella Lawson recipe and this is what I found. Was a pretty easy cake to make. The best part was that this turned out to be chocolatey, moist and almost like a mud cake.
Here is my version of the recipe with some variations.



Method

1. Preheat the over at 160 degrees Celsius for 15 mins.
2. In the meantime, add  200 gms flour, 200 gms powdered sugar, 1 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda, 50 gms cocoa powder, 200 gms butter, 2 eggs, 1 tsp vanilla extract , and 100 gms of Hung curd (Nigella uses Sour cream) into a  bowl and mix well. I generally mix with a wooden spatula but you could use a cake mixer.
3. Mix till you get a a smooth, thick batter. In case the batter is very thick you can add some milk to get it to the right consistency.
4. Prepare a baking tin with butter and sprinkle flour on it.
5. Add the cake mixture - spread it out evenly and out it into the oven
6. Bake it in the oven for 40 mins, but start checking at 30 mins.You can check the centre of the cake with a tester. The cake is ready when the tester comes out clean.
7. Remove the cake to a wire rack and let cool for 10 minutes before removing them from the tin
8. To make the frosting, melt 100 gms of dark chocolate and 100 gms butter in a bowl in a microwave for 2 mins. I grated the slab of chocolate so that it melts easily. Add 100 gms powdered sugar and keep mixed well so that there are no lumps. You can add 1 tsp cornflour so that the mixture thickens. Add some 2 tsp hung curd and mix well. Make it so that the consistency is right to coat the cake. Dont bother if it is runny as it will harden over the cake eventually.
9. Spread it evenly over the cake. Let it cool.
10. Sprinkle some grated chocolate on top and the cake is ready to eat. 

This is a dish we ate in London  at Wagamama - a Japanese chain in UK. This dish was highly recommended by friends and we really liked it prolly because it was very close to Indian cuisine. 

Last week felt a craving for this dish and decided to look for the recipe online. Surprisingly the recipe seems to be well guarded - very few  food sites had this recipe and they all looked like copy paste of the same recipe.

There are 3 parts to this recipe Curry, Rice and Fried Chicken all of which need to be made in parallel so that they can be served hot.

Method

1. Cook Basmati rice after soaking it in water. Keep aside
2. For the curry: 
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 2 medium sized onions finely sliced to the oil and saute. Add 4-5 garlic pods, 1/2 inch of ginger finely chopped and saute. 
2. Add 1 tbsp flour and 1 tsp cumin powder, 1/2 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp chilli flakes  and 1 tsp garam masala powder. Saute it for 1 min. 
3. Add 1 tbsp tomato puree and saute well. Cool this mixture and grind it for a fine consistency.
4. Put this paste back in the pan. Gradually add in 1/2 lt water, 1 bay leaf and add 1 to 2 tsp soya sauce and mix well. Slowly bring to the boil.
5. Cook for 20 mins on a slow flame and cook till the sauce thickens. You can add more garam masala for additional flavor. Remove from flame and keep aside
3. For the Fried Chicken -Cut boneless chicken into 1 inch cubes. Marinate them with lemon juice, salt and pepper and set aside for 20 mins. 
4. Take 3 bowls, add 1 tbsp flour (maida) in one, 1 egg (beat it so that the egg yolk and the whites mix well) in second bowl and bread crumbs in the third.
5. Heat oil in a pan for deep frying. Now take the chicken, coat it with maida, dip it in the egg and then coat it well with bread crumbs on all sides. Drop it in the oil and fry on medium flame till brown.
6. Drain and keep aside
7. Plate the rice and  the fried chicken and pour gravy on them and serve hot. 

Tasted this soup in a restaurant and really liked it. Decided to give it a try. Took the cream of Chicken Tomato recipe and then added the fried okra to try and replicate what I ate at the restaurant. It came pretty close to what I had set out to achieve. Yummy soup - must try!





Method

1. Melt 1 tbsp butter/olive oil  in a heavy bottomed pan. Add 1 bay leaf to the hot oil/butter.
2. Add 2-3 pods of thinly sliced garlic and fry them slightly. Add 2 thinly diced carrots and saute till partially cooked.
3. Add 10-12 mushrooms finely chopped and saute. Add salt and pepper.
4. Add  4 tomatoes thinly sliced, 3-4 cups water and let the whole mixture boil for 20-30 mins on a slow flame. Also add chicken pieces(bigger ones) to the mixture. 
5. Remove from flame, let it cool and then remove the chicken pieces aside. Blend the tomato, carrot and mushroom mixture in a grinder. Strain it for smoother texture and then again put it on the flame for cooking
6. Shred the boiled chicken and add it to the soup. Let it boil again.
7. Add pepper, adjust the salt and you can also add oregano/italian seasoning for additional taste
8. Pour in 1 to 2 tbsp of cream to the soup and keep aside
9. Thinly slice okra (bhindi) and deep fry it in oil. You can also deep fry bread crumbs sliced into cubes.
10. Serve the soup with fried bhindi topping and bread crumbs.

Banana Walnut cake is one of Yash's favorite. Found this interesting recipe online where buttermilk is used  and to my surprise the cake turned out really moist and juicy. I decided to throw in some choco chips to entice Anya to eat it and it worked wonders. 

As I was taking pictures of the cake for the blog, I noticed a small finger on the cake in my viewfinder. You can see the sequence of pics here and you will realise how much Anya loved this cake.

Method

1. Preheat oven to 160degrees C.  Grease and flour 1  round pan.
2.  In a small bowl, whisk together 2 1/2 cups flour, 1/2 tsp baking soda and 1/2 tsp baking powder and set aside.
3. In a large bowl, mix 100 gm butter, 1 cup sugar  until light and fluffy. Beat in 2 eggs. Mix 3 chopped bananas. Add flour mixture and 1 cup of buttermilk and mix well using a cake mixer. Stir in 1 cup of chopped walnuts and 2 tbsp  choco chips. Reserve some for the topping. 
4. Pour batter into the greased pans. Top with chopped walnuts and some more choco chips. 
5. Bake in the preheated oven for 40 minutes or till a skewer inserted at the centre of the cake comes out clean
6. Remove from oven, and place on a rack for cooling for 10 mins. Remove from the pan and store in an airtight container. 

Now that I am on a baking spree, I try new recipes. I came across this Carrot cake recipe and since carrot is always associated with health, carrot cake sounds less indulgent ;)
Tried this recipe and must say I loved it.



Method

1. Preheat the oven at 160 degree for  10 minutes before baking. 
2. For the cake dough, mix 2 cups Maida (flour), 1/2 tsp baking powder, 1/2 tsp baking soda and keep aside.
3. In a glass bowl, beat 2 eggs well. Add 2 cups sugar (I used brown sugar) and beat well. Add 100 gms of butter and beat well.
4. Add the flour and keep on beating until mixed well. Add some milk in case the mixture is too thick and more flour in case the mixture is too thin. Slowly add 2 cups of grated carrots and fold in well. 
5. Add 1 tsp of cinammon powder which gives additional taste to the cake and goes very well with the carrot flavor.
6. Make sure that there are no lumps. You can add vanilla essence if you want but I avoided it. I added some raisins for additional flovor
7. Grease a cake tin with butter and flour and then pour the cake batter into it. Bake for approx 30 mins at 160° C in the pre heated oven (or until a wooden toothpick inserted into the middle of the cake comes out clean)
8. Remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool on a rack. When completely cooled remove from the tin. 
9. This cake has a nice brown caramalised colour to it.

I was introduced to Kaali Dal pretty late in my life but as it goes, I started liking it instantly. 
I always thought it was an extremely difficult dish to cook but have overcome my fears now. I cook it often now - tried different recipes, but this one here has turned out the best. 





Method
1. Cook 1 cup urad dal(chilkewaali urad dal) with salt and turmeric in it in a pressure cooker for 4-5 whistles.

2. In a pan, dry roast 1 tsp each of cumin, coriander seeds, saunf, 5-6 cloves and 1 inch piece of cinnamon. Add some turmeric powder, 1 tsp chilli powder and roast some more. Add the salt. Make a fine powder of the spices. You can store this powder. 

3. In a pan, take 1 tbsp of butter (the more the better ;)) . Fry 1 tsp cumin seeds, 1 tsp ginger finely chopped and 1 tsp garlic finely chopped. 
4. Add 2 medium sized onions finely chopped, pinch of salt and fry till translucent.
6. Add 2 finely chopped green chillies and 3 chopped tomatoes and cook till the tomatoes are mushy. I also added 1 tbsp of tomato puree (store bought) for extra taste. Add 2 tsp of the powder and mix well

7. Add the cooked dal and mix well.Adjust the salt. You can add a pinch of sugar to balance out the tangy tomatoes. Cook for 10 mins on a slow flame.
8. Mix in 1 tbsp cream, Garnish with chopped coriander and serve. For added flavor, you can top it up with the spice powder that you had made earlier and some lime juice.

So yeah!! I finally have started baking!!!
Have been baking since Feb, but its tough to find time to blog when you have a toddler who ensures you spend all your time with her :) 

My first cake had to be a rich rum and raisin cake  - I love this cake so much that I have already made it 5 times in the last 2 months :) Anya loves the cake too which makes me want to cook it again and again. Thanks to my friend Deepali Paul for the live demo of how to bake this cake and for not giving me any recipe or measurements ;)...and leaving it to me to experiment with the ingredients. Here is my recipe 



Method
1. Take  150 ml of rum  in a vessel and add 2-3 tsp each of chopped prunes, black currants, raisins, cranberries, tutti frooti, chopped candied cherries,  2 tsp melon seeds (for crunchiness).You can be generous with all these ingredients and add them in any proportion that you like.
2. Add 1 tsp orange rind, juice of 2 fresh oranges, 1 tsp coffee powder, 2 tsp honey, 1 tsp cinnamon powder, 1 tbsp cocoa powder and 100 gms brown sugar. 
3. Leave the fruits to soak in the rum for atleast 1 hour - the more you leave it the better the cake will taste.
4. Heat this mixture on a low flame for a quick boil.
5. When the mixture cools down, add 2 eggs, 250 gm  maida, 100 gm butter, 1/2 tsp baking powder and 1/2 tsp baking soda and fold it well into the rum.
6. Pre heat the oven to 160° C 
7. Grease a cake tin with butter and flour and then pour the cake batter into it. Bake for approx 30 mins at 160° C (or until a wooden toothpick comes out clean)
8. Remove the tin from the oven and allow to cool on a rack. When completely cooled remove from the tin. 
This cake tastes better as it matures. You can store at room temperature in an air tight container.

Note: The decoration on the cake is pointless - the cake is yummy any which ways :)

I chanced upon this recipe while browsing for newer Mutton side dishes. "Chukka" means dry gravy in Tamil, and this  apparently is a very famous Chettinad dish. The south indian flavors of curry leaves and the spices gives an added taste to the mutton! A must try for all mutton lovers :)

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Method
1. Cut 500 gms of boneless mutton (lamb)pieces into small 1 inch pieces. Marinate with salt, pinch of turmeric, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and 1 tsp red chilli powder for atleast 1 hour. 
2. Pressure cook the marinated mutton  for 5-6 whistles along with water to just cover the pieces. Remove from heat and keep aside to cook before opening the pressure cooker. 
3. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, saute 5-6 cloves, 1 inch cinnamon and 1 bay leaf. Add 2 sprigs of curry leaves and saute
4. Now add 1 finely chopped onion and saute. Add 5-6 cloves of finely chopped garlic. When the onion is translucent, add 2 chopped tomatoes and saute it till cooked. Add 1 tsp coriander powder at this point.You can also add a pinch of garam masala at the end to increase the balance towards the spices. 

5. Add boiled mutton along with the water used in cooking, mix well with the masala and cook without the lid till the water evaporates. I kept it a little wet so that it can be eaten with rice as well. 
6.Adjust the salt depending on the taste. 
Serve hot as a side dish with chappatis or rice.

This is another all time favorite among the easy to cook dishes. Falls in the day to day cooking category and takes less than half an hour of cooking time including the chopping :)





Method
1. Cut 250 gms paneer in to 1 cm cubes. I use paneer from Punjab Sind and they are melt in your kind variety - any dish you cook with them turn out good.
2.  Heat 2 tsp oil in a pan. When hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds. Let them crackle.
3. Add 1 big onion finely sliced and saute well. Add salt to the onions. Add 3 finely chopped chillies and 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and saute well till the onions are brown. 
4. Now add 1 finely chopped tomato and 1 capsicum chopped into 1 cm cubes and saute well
5. Cover and cook till the tomatoes are mushy
6. Now add 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp kitchen king masala (you can add garam masala as an alternative), 1 tsp chilli powder and pinch of turmeric. Mix all this well
7. Add the paneer pieces, mix well without crumbling the paneer and then cover and cook for  a few mins
8. Garnish with 1 tsp crushed kasoori methi and finely chopped coriander leaves.

Came across this recipe on Tarla Dala's website and decided to try it. The ajwain seeds and the pav bhaji  masala give a distinct flavour to this dish. Did not take me even 30 mins to cook including cutting time. Of course, I had to add my own minor variations to the dish.

Method
1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. Add 1/2 tsp of ajwain, 1 tsp of cumin seeds and saute them till the cumin seeds splutter.
2. Add 1 finely chopped onion and saute till it is translucent. Add 2 small finely chopped tomatoes and cook till its mushy
3. Add 1 tsp pav bhaji masala, 1/2 tsp rock salt, a pinch of turmeric, 1 red chilli powder to the tomatoes and cook well.
4. Add 250 gms of grated paneer and mix well. Cook for 2-3 mins.
5. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot with chapatis

These days have been experimenting a lot with mixing different juices and making mocktails when I have friends over esp friends with children below 18 :)

I had tried Sangria recently and fell in love with the drink. I liked the concept of adding fresh fruits to your drink.Wanted to replicate a non alcoholic version of this drink , so tried to experiment with different flavors at home.
This is the outcome - loved it.


Method
1. Take a huge pitcher. Add 500 ml apple juice, 250 ml orange juice, juice of 2 lemons, 2 apples finely chopped, 2 oranges deseeded and finely chopped along with the rind, 1 lemon finely chopped along with the rind.
2. I added 1 cup of tea decoction (boil tea leaves in water and then strain the leaves, cool it and add) for additional flavor and some color.
3. You can add sugar or water to balance the taste. Refrigerate the drink for atleast 2 hours before serving.
4. You can serve this drink with ice and also add soda for extra fizz.


Feel free to add other juices like cranberry juice to the drink. 
Do share your versions of mocktails and do let me know if you have a different version of virgin Sangria :)

Been wanting to try this dish ever since I bought my new oven. The key to this dish is in its marination. If you want well marinated chicken, you need to plan in advance. I marinated the chicken at 1 PM in the morning and cooked them finally at 8 in the morning.
Frankly speaking, it turned out so yummy and juicy (much unlike tawa frys which are slightly drier) that I forgot to click pics and started enjoying the chicken. This pic was an after thought and clicked in a hurry with the last pieces left and hence is of poor quality. Will replace it soon as I am sure I am going to cook this often.

Method
1. Clean 500 gms of chicken and cut slashes in the chicken so that
2.  Make a marinade in a large glass bowl out of 1/2 cup hung curd, 1 tsp oil, 2 tsp ginger garlic paste, 2 tsp red chilli powder, 2 tsp tandoori masala, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp garam masala powder, 1 tsp chat masala, 2 tsp lemon juice and salt to taste. Mix well. Add the chicken pieces and rub the marinade on the chicken. Mix well and prick with a fork so that the chicken is well marinated. Cover the glass bowl with a cling foil and keep aside. I refrigerated the chicken after 2 hrs of leaving it aside
3. Remove the refrigerated chicken 30 mins before cooking.
4. Preheat the oven for 10 mins @ 180 degrees
5. Brush some oil on the grill. Place the chicken pieces on the grill or you can also arrange them on a skewer. You can brush some more oil on the chicken pieces. Place them into the oven. Dont forget to place a drip tray.
6. I cooked the chicken at 180 degrees for 45 mins. Keep checking and turning the chicken pieces every 10 mins  but this may vary depending on your oven. The chicken is well done when you can pierce using a tooth pick and the tooth pick easily reaches up to the bone. Of course, taking out the  piece and tasting it is a better option :)
7. Squeeze some lemon juice and chat masala and serve.

A few weeks ago, I had a few Punjabi friends visiting and I knew they loved Butter Chicken. Decided to try my hand at it for the first time so went online scouting for recipes. Came across this recipe at VahreVah and decided to try it. Doubt if this is the authentic butter chicken recipe cooked in North Indian kitchens, but anyways this was yummy - so who cares :)



Method
1. Cut 500 gms of boneless chicken into strips. Add 1 tsp of ginger garlic paste, 1 tsp of red chilli powder, 1tsp of coriander powder and salt and let it marinate for 1 hour.
2. Take 2 tbsp of oil in a pan and deep fry the marinated chicken. When brown (should be about 90% done) remove from the pan and set aside.
3. In the same oil, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and let them splutter. You may add more oil if needed.
4. Add 2 onions finely chopped into the oil and fry them till translucent. Sprinkle some water so that the masala left over from the fried chicken comes of the pan. This masala actually adds to the taste of the chicken so let it be.
5. Add 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp red chilli powder, 5/6 cashew nuts, 2 green chillies and saute with the onion. Add 3 finely chopped tomatoes  and saute well. Cover and cook till mushy.
6. Add some kasoori methi to the mixture, saute it well.
7. Now remove from heat, let this mixture cool and then blend it to a fine paste
8. Take a new pan and add 1 tbsp butter to it. Add the blended paste and saute. Add the chicken to this mixture.
9. Make it thinner, adjust the salt and add a bit of sugar to adjust for the tanginess.
10. You can also add some tomato ketchup for added taste.
11. Let this cook till a good boil. 
12. Garnish with cream and sprinkle some garam masala in the end. You can add more butter at this point 
13. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve hot.

I love the Usal Pav made by my mom. It was always a special breakfast /snack option at home. Wanted to replicate that the other day but did not have the white peas at home. Decided to just go ahead with dried green peas and it turned out as good - guess the masala does the magic for me.


Method
1. Soak 1 1/2 cup of dried white peas (I have used green peas here) overnight in water. Boil it in the morning (I cooked it in the pressure cooker for 1 whistle and then simmered for a few mins) and keep aside.
2. Take 2 tsp oil in a non stick pan and when hot, add 1 tsp mustard seeds. Add 1 tsp cumin seeds when the mustard seeds start spluttering. Add 3-4 split red chillies, 1 inch of cinnamon and some 4-5 cloves and saute. I also added 2 green chillies finely chopped.
3. Add 2 finely chopped onion and saute. Add a little salt while sauteing the onion. Saute the onion till its translucent.
4. Add 5-6 pods of garlic finely chopped and saute. Add a pinch of hing (asafoetida) , pinch of turmeric, 1 tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder and saute for a few mins
5. Now add 3 finely chopped tomatoes and saute well. You can cover and cook till the tomatoes are mushy.
6. Now add the boiled peas. You can also mash some 3-4 tsp of boiled peas and add it to add some thickness to the gravy. Add water according to the consistency you want. Bring to a good boil.
7. Serve with finely chopped coriander leaves, finely chopped onion and squeeze some lemon on top
8. Tastes best with pav but you can also add farsan to the usal and eat it just like that.

My friend Virag and his wife Kruti are strict Jains. Even though they do not use onions, ginger and garlic in their cooking, the food they cook is always amazingly tasty. 
This is a dish I ate at their place and liked it a lot especially because it was very different from the normal Chole. 
I tried this dish recently and it turned out good...Have to admit that I couldnt stop myself from using onions as I wasnt sure I could make it as tasty as Kruti's recipe. So here is the recipe...

Method

1. Soak 1 1/2 cups chickpeas overnight. Pressure cook the chickpeas the next day - this generally takes 5-6 whistles.
2. Finely chop 3 onions. Take a pan, heat 1 tbsp oil and fry the onions. Add a little salt while frying. When the onions are brown in color,  turn off the heat. Let the onions cool down and then blend them into a blender to a fine paste. Keep this aside. You can avoid onions if you want to make it the Jain way.

3. Par boil 4 tomatoes and blend them in a grinder to a fine paste

4. Take 2-3 tsp oil, 1 tsp ghee  in a pan. When the oil is hot add 2 tsp cumin seeds. As the cumin seeds splutter add 1 big bay leaf and saute. Add the onion paste and fry, add 2 tsp ginger garlic paste and fry it till the raw smell is gone.
5. Add 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 2 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp cumin powder, 1 to 2 tsp garam masala powder (acco to taste) and saute it till it mixes well with the onion paste.
6. Now add the tomato paste and  1-2 tsp tomato puree (store bought) and saute.
7. Add 1 handful each  of coriander leaves and mint leaves ground into a fine paste to the tomatoes for added taste. Saute this for 5 mins. You can add more mint if you would like a distinct mint flavor
8. Add boiled chole chana to the paste. Mix as much water as you need and let this cook on a slow flame for 15 mins.
8. Garnish with coriander leaves and Serve with pooris/rotis

I developed my taste for Kerala cuisine in Kolkata :) when I used to stay with Padma Aunty as a paying guest. The combination of ginger, coconut milk and curry leaves used to go well with be it fish, chicken or egg. 

Here in Hyd, we visit Kairali and Uttupura pretty often to taste their roasts with appams. Decided to cook Egg roast today and found a good recipe on VahReVah.com I followed this recipe and the dish was extremely tasty - exactly the same as I have tasted in Kerala. The key here is the 2 tbsp of coconut milk that gives you the gravy. Dont miss it

Method 
 1. Heat 1 tbsp oil in a pan. When the oil is hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and 1 tsp mustard seeds. When they splutter, add 5-6 finely chopped cloves of garlic, 1 inch ginger finely chopped and saute. 
2. Add 2 finely chopped onions, 1/2 tsp salt and saute till the onion is slightly brown in color.  

3. Add 1 sprig on curry leaves, 2-3 slit chillies, 1/2 tsp turmeric, 1tsp chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder and 1/2 tsp garam masala powder and saute all till the raw smell of the masala is gone.  
4. Add 1 finely chopped tomato and saute till the tomato is mushy. 

5. Now add 2 tbsp coconut milk (I prepare coconut milk using coconut milk powder), 1 to 2 tsp tomato puree and mix well. Add 4 boiled eggs (I made some slits on them) to the base, mix well  and cook for 4-5 mins on a slow flame. 
 6. Garnish with finely chopped coriander leaves and serve hot.  
This dish goes well with appams, but we managed with rotis.

Tried this recipe last week from Sanjeev Kapoor's Khana Khazana and really liked it
I did not  add as much butter and cream as the recipe recommended - yet the gravy was very rich thanks to the cashew nut paste.



Method

1. Heat 2 tsp oil in a non stick pan. Add 2 finely chopped onions, around 10 cashew nuts , a pinch of salt and saute till the onion is slightly brown. 
2. Add 3-4 finely chopped tomatoes and saute for around 10 mins till the tomato is well cooked and mushy. 
3. Add 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder and salt to taste and saute till the spices are mixed well.
4. Blend this in a mixer till you get a smooth paste - you can add some water for blending.Transfer the mixture to the same kadai and cook over low heat. You can add butter to the paste but I avoided it.
5. When the mixture looks well cooked, add 2 tsp crushed kasoori methi, 1 tsp garam masala, a pinch of cardamom powder and mix well. Adjust the salt and add a pinch of sugar. 
6. Add the 500 gms paneer cut into traingles and mix well and cook for about 5 mins.
7. Garnish with cream and chopped corinder leaves and serve with chappatis.

Tried this recipe from vahrevah.com last Saturday when friends Preeti Patil and Jay came over. This starter with its south indian flavors was a hit with them..
Very easy to cook and the key is in cooking the chicken till it is browned well. 

I have tried a lot of recipes from vahrevah and somehow they have always turned out well..so now I am hooked on to the Sanjay Thumma's video stream on youtube



Method
1. Marinate 1/2 kg chicken on the bone with 1 tsp red chilli powder, 1/2 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp coriander powder, 1 tsp ginger garlic paste and salt to taste. Keep this aside for at least 2 hrs before cooking
2. Take 2 tsp oil in a pan and heat it. When hot, add 1 tsp cumin seeds and saute till it is brown. I also added 1/2 tsp shahi jeera seeds for additional taste. Add 1 finely chopped onion, a pinch of salt and saute. When the onion is pink, add 1 sprig of curry leaves and saute.
3. Now add the chicken and mix well. Cover and cook the chicken on a low flame till about 80% done. This should take around 20 mins
4. Remove the lid and saute to remove the water that must have accumulated. Add 2 tsp vinegar and 1 tsp freshly crushed pepper powder. Keep sauteing in the process browning the chicken. Finally add 1 tsp garam masala powder and mix well. Remove from heat when you think the chicken is well cooked
5. Garnish with coriander  and serve hot as a starter or a side dish.

I love Italian food and though I like Pasta more than Risotto, I decided to cook Risotto again after a long time. Having tried Risotto with pumkin and one other time with chicken and mushrooms, today I decided to cook it with Bell Peppers and Zucchini.

Method

1. In a large pan, take 1 tbsp of olive oil. When hot, add 1 cup zucchini cut into cubes. I used Golden Zucchini here but you can use the Green one too. Add 1/2 cup each of red and yellow peppers and saute on high heat for 2-3 mins. When gold, add 5-6 pods of finely chopped garlic  and saute for a minute stirring continuously. Remove from the pan and set aside

2. In the same pan, add 1 tbsp olive oil. Add 1 onion cut into fine longish thin pieces. Saute on low heat till pink/translucent. Dont burn/brown the onions. Add 1 and 1/2 cup arborio rice to this mixture and saute till the rice grains are transparent.

3. Add 1 cup of vegetable stock to the rice and stir continuously  Keep adding stock as and when needed and stir constantly. Keep doing this for about 20 mins on low flame, till the rice is cooked but yet crunchy to bite into.

4. Add the zucchini and bell peppers, add 1 tbsp butter and mix well. Sprinkle basil leaves (Since i did not have basil at home, I used tulsi leaves and the taste was very similar to basil) and grated cheese (you need to use Parmesan, but I used Gouda as  I did not get parmesan at the store). Stir gently and remove from heat

5. Drizzle olive oil and some more cheese and serve.

Hussain is my regular autowalla and we have interesting conversations on the way to office. This friday, we were discussing Hyderabadi Biryani when he told me that Biryani has an interesting and easy to cook cousin called Tahiri. He went on to describe the recipe for this easy one pot dish and I noted the recipe in my head. I had to cook it today least I forget the recipe.
So here is Hussain's Tahiri recipe



Method
1. Clean and Marinate 1/2 kg mutton (with bones) with 2 tbsp curd, 1 cup each of chopped mint leaves and coriander leaves, 3 finely chopped green chillies and salt and keep aside. It is good to leave this marination for at least 2 hours before you cook it.
2. Wash 2 cups of basmati rice and drain the water and keep aside.
3. In a pressure cooker, take 1 tsp ghee and 1 tsp oil and when hot add 2 finely chopped onions and saute till the onions are slightly brown.
4. Add 2 tsp of ginger garlic paste and saute for a minute. Add 2 tsp red chilli powder, 1 tsp turmeric powder, 1 tsp garam masala powder and mix well. Add the marinated mutton pieces and saute well for 5-10 mins. Add 3-4 finely chopped tomatoes and mix well. Now saute all this for at least 15-20 mins mins till the mutton is almost done and the tomatoes are mushy. Since rice cooks well, ensure that your mutton is well cooked before you add the rice.
5. Add the basmati rice and mix well so that it is well coated. Add 5 cups of water (use the same measuring cup as used for rice). Add a handful of finely chopped mint and coriander leaves, 1 tsp garam masala powder and mix well.
6. Pressure cook for 4 whistles and then turn off the flame.
7. Garnish with coriander leaves and serve the Tahiri with dahi raita.